How Lucky We Are
by gothicbutterfly95
Summary: Freedom, excitement and revolution await three sisters when they sneak into Manhattan for the day. Basically 'The Schuyler Sisters'


**Pastures is the name of the Schuyler estate. I also chose to forgo the point that there were only three Schuyler children, and added in their younger siblings. Other than that, all _Hamilton_ canon. I think. I don't know when this scene is set.**

* * *

Angelica led the way out of the carriage, a spring in her step. Eliza followed, more cautious, but wide eyed nonetheless. Peggy, on the other hand, didn't move, and eventually had to be pulled out by her older sister.

"Come on," Eliza begged. "We came all this way."

It had been a long journey from Albany; not to mention they'd had to do it in secret. If any of their younger siblings breathed a word, all three of them were dead. But now that they'd finally arrived in Manhattan, they had forgotten all about that.

Every way they looked, every corner they turned, there was something new and exciting to see. Most of the time they didn't even know what they were looking at.

They were so excited they couldn't even bring themselves to pause long enough to have something to eat. No one felt hungry; too absorbed in the bright new city they found themselves in. Angelica was trying to take in every bit of conversation she heard, Eliza was so overwhelmed she could do little more than stare around her, and Peggy was too busy trying to keep up with her older sisters to pay attention to anything in particular.

* * *

When they finally stopped, Peggy pulled out of Eliza's grip. Their middle sister had been practically dragging their younger sister around since they arrived at the Common.

"Daddy said to be home by sundown," Peggy cried, stopping them.

Angelica sighed. Peggy worried too much. She knew her sister was right – their father would be furious if they weren't back at the Pastures before dark; but as long as he was none the wiser to it, everything would be fine.

"Daddy doesn't need to know," she assured her sister.

Peggy shot back with another argument, which Angelica was grateful Eliza responded to. She couldn't spend all her time looking out for Peggy, who, despite her constant worrying, was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

The Revolution was happening, and there was no way Angelica was going to miss it.

It was so exciting to see such groundbreaking changes happening in the world, but they weren't there yet.

 _We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal._ Why did the Declaration of Independence have to make things so literal? Surely, in the Bible, _men_ meant mankind just as much as it meant males. Why did this have to be different?

Someday women would be included as well, there alongside the men. Angelica was sure.

All that needed to happen was for someone to inform Thomas Jefferson of this error, and then everything would be righted. But as much as she wished that were the case, Angelica wasn't that naïve. It would take nothing short of her meeting Jefferson personally for it to change in her lifetime.

But it would happen. Someday, someday.

* * *

Eliza sidled up to her sister's side. "Angelica," she asked. "Remind me what we're looking for."

Elizabeth had no idea what to expect in New York City; and even now, after exploring for some time, she wasn't quite sure whether she was supposed to be waiting for something. She had been having a great time, but nothing specific had caught her attention.

Maybe it was because she'd been keeping an eye on Peggy; but now her little sister had run off and she still wasn't sure what to do with herself.

Angelica was here for the Revolution, and Peggy had come along because her sisters were going, but Eliza…

Eliza was ambivalent. She wanted to see Manhattan, but not like Angelica did. She didn't have to be convinced like Peggy.

So where exactly did that leave her?

The only thing she knew for certain was that this city was different from anyplace else she'd ever been. Not just because of the magnitude of the crowds; it _sounded_ different. Almost as though all the sounds of the city had combined to form a new type of music, unlike any Eliza had heard before, and she wanted to explore every inch of the city to find its source.

But she knew it didn't exist; there was no music, no source. All she could do was look around and think about how wonderful it was just to be here.

She was having a great time. And, at the end of the day, maybe that would be enough.

* * *

Despite her apprehension about following her sisters into the city, as she looked around her, Margarita couldn't deny she was glad she'd come.

No one was really sure how Margarita had been shortened to Peggy. But, she guessed it didn't really matter. All too soon it had become 'and Peggy'; a footnote next to her sisters.

She hadn't read Thomas Paine like Angelica. She couldn't play the piano as beautifully as Eliza. She wasn't even the youngest. Three little brothers and a sister followed her, but somehow she was different. John, Philip, and Rensselaer **,** being boys, automatically had an advantage in the world, even though none of them were of age. Angelica said this was incredibly sexist, and while Peggy privately agreed, she was more dissatisfied about her relationship with her siblings.

There seemed to be this caste system within their family. Though she was in the middle overall, she was stuck with Angelica and Eliza, and compared to her sisters, she was the baby.

Of course they wouldn't take her seriously.

But here in Manhattan, in this bustling, city she didn't have to worry about any of that.

She could just be Peggy.

* * *

It was late in the day – though it had seemed like mere minutes – when they were approached by a young man.

Angelica was showing no signs of tiring, even after pushing her way through the seemingly never-ending crowds, guiding her sisters, but this man stopped her.

If she didn't know any better, she would've said this was Aaron Burr. She'd heard of his studies at Princeton, and accomplishments working under General Montgomery.

"You searching for an urchin who can give you ideals?" he asked the question as if he already knew the answer.

Angelica grimaced. It wouldn't be the one he wanted.

"Burr, you disgust me," she said. Was this really what reputation did to young men these days?

She didn't even hear his reply. She didn't care about his prior achievements; she knew exactly what he wanted, and she wasn't having any of that.

She wanted to leave her mark on the world, help in bringing together this young nation that would soon be theirs – and theirs alone –, but Angelica couldn't deny that having someone with whom she could spend her life would be nice. But it wasn't about love. Not really. More than love, she needed someone at her level; someone who would challenge her and see her as an equal. She only wanted it if she could find that.

She would not let herself become a trophy wife.

Eliza could see that Burr's interest was not confined to her older sister. Whatever he wanted from them was exactly that; from them. It wasn't a question of if, but rather which one.

She'd heard of this man in passing, but she never would've guessed it was Burr in front of her until Angelica mentioned him. She wondered briefly how her sister knew about him this much, before remembering her sister was forever researching the state of world now.

"You want a revolution, I want a revelation," Angelica announced to Burr.

Eliza sighed. 'Here she goes again,' she thought.

She was undoubtedly on her sister's side; but mostly because Angelica told her it was the way of the future, and she trusted her. But she didn't know the minute details, and was never able to fully contribute to these conversations.

But, in the comfort of their own house, with their family, they were enjoyable. Here, in New York City, listening to Angelica monologuing to a stranger was just awkward.

Peggy had found her way back to her sisters. Angelica was talking to a young man, though she wasn't letting him get a word in. Eliza was standing off to the side, watching in silence; telling Peggy everything she needed to know about the situation.

They would just have to wait it out.

This wasn't the first person to notice them since their arrival; three obviously wealthy young women attracted a lot of attention down here, but it was the first time the act was reciprocated.

Trust it to be Angelica.

As her oldest sister continued for what seemed like an age – though Peggy knew it was merely minutes – she and Eliza started whispering to each other. It was weird how the day could pass so quickly, but when Angelica started talking, time slowed down.

Even through her hushed conversation with Eliza, Peggy caught snatches of what Angelica was saying: Thomas Jefferson, a quote from the Declaration of Independence, other things she'd heard before. Standing right there, she could not help but take it all in. Again.

* * *

Burr finally disappeared back into the crowd. Peggy and Eliza breathed a collective sigh, and Angelica looked relieved when she turned back to them. She let out a sigh herself, and then her face broke into a grin.

Eliza and Peggy grinned back at her as all three girls raced towards each other and found themselves in a three-way hug as they looked out at where they were.

Things needed to change, and more would happen in their lives, but for now, the Schuyler sisters were happy to just spend the day in New York City.

* * *

 **When I started reading fanfic five years ago, it was because I was obsessed with _WICKED_. And since _Hamilton_ is the only other musical to have consumed me that way, I figured I should try my hand at it. I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Writing this really made me realise how little Eliza does during this song.**


End file.
